David Morris TAYLOR III

United States of America

Wrestling

Olympic Medals

1G

Games Participations1

First Olympic GamesTokyo 2020

Year of Birth1990

Social Media

Biography

Having led the way for USA wrestling for the past five years, David Taylor suffered a shock defeat to his Penn State University successor Aaron Brooks at April's Olympic Trials. It means the "Magic Man" will not defend his Olympic title at Paris 2024, with the 33-year-old becoming head coach at Oklahoma State University and ending his competitive career.

David Taylor: A student journey marked by unprecedented success

Born in Reno, Nevada, Taylor went to Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio and became a four-time state champion with an impressive record of 180–2. In 2009, he received the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award as the country's top high-school wrestler.

Taylor went to Penn State to work under Athens 2004 Olympic champion Cael Sanderson and won two NCAA Division I national championships. While at college, Taylor reached the final of the 2013 US Open where he was beaten by reigning Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs. He also took bronze at the 2013 Summer Universiade before just falling to Burroughs again in the 2014 US Open final.

After graduating from college in 2015, Taylor pursued wrestling full-time and won gold at the US Open that year. However, he lost to his old college rival Kyle Dake as he failed to make the team for the World Championships. Having competed at 74kg, Taylor then opted to bulk up to 86kg. Dake did the same and beat Taylor again at the US Nationals.

At the Olympic Trials in April 2016, Taylor once more found Dake too strong in the semi-finals. Dake fell in the final to J'den Cox who went on to take bronze at the Rio Games.

With Dake dropping back down in weight, Taylor and Cox battled for 86kg home supremacy. Taylor put down a marker when he competed at the World Cup in Iran, beating London 2012 gold medallist Sharif Sharifov in the semi-finals and then scoring victory by fall in his first meeting with Rio 74kg champion Hassan Yazdani.

But the chance to represent the United States in a global competition would elude him again. After winning the opening bout of the World Team Trials final against Cox, Taylor lost the next two with Sanderson ejected for throwing a chair onto the mat in anger.

In 2018, with Cox moving up to 92kg, Taylor established himself as the man to beat at home and abroad by winning a third US Open and a first Pan American title.

David Taylor's rivalry with Hassan Yazdani

After winning the U.S. World Championship qualifiers in emphatic style, Taylor was drawn against defending world and Olympic champion Yazdani in the first round in Budapest. The American trailed at the end of the first period but roared back to defeat the Iranian for a second time, 11-6.

The biggest challenge to Taylor after that came in the semi-finals where he again came from behind to beat Russia's European champion Dauren Kurugliev. In the final, he overpowered Turkey's Fatih Erdin to secure his first global title.

After winning his first three bouts at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games by technical superiority (ahead by 10 points), Taylor would meet Yazdani again in the final. The American just about managed to extend his unbeaten streak to 54 matches, scoring a takedown with just 18 seconds remaining to win 4-3 and become Olympic champion.

Two months later, they met again in the final of the 2021 World Championships in Oslo. This time, Yazdani prevailed 6-2 for his first victory over Taylor who had won his previous 57 matches.

With the two well clear of the rest of the world, the pair faced off for a fifth time in the final of the 2022 World Championships in Belgrade. Taylor reasserted his dominance, winning 7-1 to claim his second world title.

A year later, they met once more in the World Championship final. And with Taylor 9-3 up in the closing seconds, he completed the pin for a third world title in Belgrade. Yazdani won just one of their six bouts but, in Taylor's absence, he is now favourite for gold at Paris 2024.